The Legend of Zhen Huan: Rebirth of Ling Rong

"Your Highness, you are finally back. I, A Jin, have been waiting for you for so long!" Hearing the noise, A Jin hurriedly ran out from the side to check the situation.

Seeing the prince return safely, the worry and uneasiness in his heart instantly dissipated, and was replaced by joy.

"A Jin? What are you doing here so late at night instead of sleeping in your room?" Prince Guo asked curiously.

"Your Highness, isn't A Jin worried about you? You changed your clothes and went out quietly in the middle of the night. A Jin was afraid that following you would ruin Your Highness's plans, so he had to wait here for Your Highness to come back." A Jin explained.

"I'm back safely, aren't I? Come on, let's go back!" Prince Guo called A Jin to go back to the house together.

The next day, Prince Guo went out again before dawn. He privately asked people he knew to help him check the files, and they did find some clues, which gave him a better chance of winning.

However, the emperor was naturally suspicious and would undoubtedly have even more doubts about this matter. If he suddenly made this suggestion to the emperor, it would certainly arouse the emperor's suspicion and vigilance. Therefore, he had to handle this matter with great care and caution, not easily revealing his true intentions.

Prince Guo immediately decided to go into the palace first to test the emperor's attitude and understand his views on the matter.

So, under the pretext of playing chess, Prince Guo went to the palace to see the emperor. The emperor liked playing chess, and they often played chess together in the past. The emperor was very happy about Prince Guo's arrival.

"Old Seventeen, you are here? No one played chess with me during the days you were away. Now that you are here, we two brothers can compete with each other again." The emperor seemed very interested.

"Su Peisheng, go get the chessboard. I want to play a few games with Prince Guo today."

"Yes, I understand!" After hearing this, Su Peisheng hurriedly took the chessboard and set it up.

"Please come in, my royal brother!" Prince Guo said respectfully and politely.

"Old Seventeen, let's see if you can beat me today." The emperor looked confident of victory.

When the game started, the emperor and Prince Guo stared at the chessboard intently, thinking about every move.

The atmosphere was tense and silent as the two men played chess, the only sounds being the dropping of pieces and the gentle rustling of breathing. Prince Guo played calmly and composedly, each move carefully considered, while the Emperor appeared confident.

As time went on, the situation on the chessboard gradually became clear. The emperor and Prince Guo's pieces intertwined, forming a complex situation. They each used their own strategies and skills to try to win the game.

The Emperor frowned slightly, carefully observing the chessboard, searching for the best move. Prince Guo smiled, seemingly satisfied with the current situation, but he remained vigilant, not daring to let his guard down.

Suddenly, a flash of surprise flashed in the emperor's eyes. He found a key breakthrough point. He quickly picked up a chess piece and placed it on the chessboard.

Prince Guo's expression changed slightly as he realized he might be in trouble. However, he did not panic, but calmly thought about how to deal with it.

Finally, after a fierce battle, the Emperor successfully defeated Prince Guo. He laughed and said, "Haha, Old Seventeen, today's game of chess was a pleasure!"

Prince Guo replied with a smile, "My Royal Brother's chess skills are truly superb. I haven't seen you for a long time, and you've improved even more. I admire you."

"Old Seventeen, you are also very good. I was lucky to win against you." The emperor comforted Prince Guo.

"Your Majesty, Lord Zhang Tingyu is here and is waiting outside the palace. Would Your Majesty like to see Lord Zhang?" Su Peisheng came in and asked the emperor cautiously.

Upon hearing the news, Prince Guo immediately stood up and was about to leave.

"Since Your Majesty is busy with government affairs, I will not disturb you any more. I will come to ask for your advice another day."

"It's okay, just sit down and listen. I'm not asking you to do anything." The emperor gave the order, and Prince Guo had no choice but to sit down.

"Go and call Zhang Tingyu in!"

A moment after Su Peisheng left, Zhang Tingyu came in.

"Your humble servant Zhang Tingyu pays his respects to the emperor. Long live the emperor!" Zhang Tingyu knelt down and saluted the emperor, then greeted Prince Guo, who responded politely.

"You come to see me now, but have you found out the truth about Zhen Yuandao's case?" the emperor asked directly.

"Your Majesty, I have conducted a thorough investigation in the past few days and have read through the files that Zhen Yuandao has handled in the Dali Temple over the years. There is indeed no mistake. I hope Your Majesty will examine it carefully." Zhang Tingyu answered honestly.

"Oh? Really? Is there no mistake at all? Could there be any inaccuracies or untruths?" The emperor looked at Zhang Tingyu with some doubt.

"Your humble servant dare not act on personal grounds. Besides, you and Zhen Yuandao have no personal relationship. I hope Your Majesty will understand." Zhang Tingyu immediately knelt down to express his loyalty.

"What about the matter of him secretly marrying the daughter of a guilty minister? Have you found out?" the emperor asked Zhang Tingyu again.

"Your Majesty, I have also checked a large number of files on this matter. There seems to be another hidden story about the case of treason. Zhen Yuandao was working in the Dali Temple at the time and also participated in the trial of this case, but he did not show favoritism. However, this case was decided by the late emperor himself. I have come to ask Your Majesty whether you should continue to investigate." Zhang Tingyu was a little unsure of what the emperor meant at this time.

"Is there a hidden story behind the treason case back then? I still remember it. It was a huge uproar back then. The Baiyi people surrendered to the Qing Dynasty and served as officials. Everything was originally peaceful. But who knew that treason would suddenly occur? The late emperor was furious and ordered a thorough investigation and conviction. I didn't expect there to be another hidden story."

The emperor recalled what happened in the past. At that time, he was still a prince and was not favored by the late emperor.

"Seventeenth Master, what do you think about this?" The emperor suddenly turned around and asked Prince Guo.

"Brother Your Majesty, I dare not speak rashly about this." Prince Guo responded with a polite smile.

"That's okay. I want to hear your opinion as well."

"In my opinion, this matter was decided by the late emperor himself. If we rashly investigate it, it would be disrespectful to the late emperor. But if we don't investigate it thoroughly, it would also be disrespectful to the late emperor and even damage his reputation. I think this matter should be investigated privately. Once the truth is revealed, we can punish the wicked and clear the name of the loyal ministers." Prince Guo said.

After hearing what Prince Guo said, the emperor fell into deep thought. He frowned and tapped the armrests of the dragon throne with his fingers, as if weighing the pros and cons.

After a while, the emperor finally made up his mind and said, "Old Seventeen, your suggestion is very reasonable. I have decided to adopt it."

Then, the emperor turned to look at Zhang Tingyu beside him and ordered, "Zhang Tingyu, I will leave this matter to you and Prince Guo to secretly investigate. You must get to the bottom of this matter."

Zhang Tingyu responded respectfully: "I obey your order."

Prince Guo appeared very calm. He bowed slightly, indicating that he was willing to share the emperor's worries.